Biman board appointments must be reversed

The latest appointments to the board of directors of the state-run Biman Bangladesh Airlines, made at the fag end of the interim government’s tenure, are both surprising and deeply controversial. These decisions raise serious concerns about conflicts of interest, abuse of power, and the potential compromise of neutrality ahead of the national election. Of the three newly appointed directors, two currently serve the government with the rank of minister and state minister, while the third is the top civil servant of the Election Commission.

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Biman job scams must be checked

A gazette notification issued on Thursday named National Security Adviser and High Representative for the Rohingya Issue Dr Khalilur Rahman, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser at the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology (with the rank of state minister) Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, and EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed as new board members. Earlier, on August 26 last year, Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin, who oversees the civil aviation ministry, was appointed chairman of the board. This marked the first instance of a minister assuming the chairmanship of a company under his own ministry, departing from the long-established norm of keeping operational management separate from the ministry.

Traditionally, ministers have not served as directors of state-owned enterprises because their official positions already allow them considerable influence over policy and strategic direction. Their direct involvement in corporate governance risks creating conflicts of interest, undermining transparency, and opening the door to mismanagement and corruption. Although the gazette notification claims the appointments were made in public interest, they instead invite suspicion about the government’s true intentions. At the very least, the move appears to be an attempt to rehabilitate outgoing advisers by placing them in alternative official roles after the end of their ministerial privileges. Moreover, if the government’s objective was to restructure or revamp Biman by modernising its fleet or expanding its network, legitimate questions arise about the moral and legal authority of an interim administration to pursue such initiatives when the country is less than four weeks away from electing a new government.

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Yet another rough landing for Biman

Equally troubling is the appointment of the EC secretary. With the electoral process already underway, safeguarding the commission’s neutrality is essential to maintaining the credibility and integrity of both the parliamentary election and the referendum. Assigning a senior election official to another position sets a dangerous precedent and risks being perceived as a reward for service during the election period. 

The February 12 election is one of the most consequential events in the nation’s recent history. The interim government must avoid decisions that could cast doubt on its impartiality or undermine public confidence in the electoral process. These appointments should be withdrawn immediately to ensure that the integrity of the election is not questioned and that the perception of political favouritism does not tarnish the role of supposedly non-partisan advisers.